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GMAT Online Whiteboard

With the GMAT moving online, one big change is that scratch paper is no longer an option. Instead, you'll have the option to use the new GMAT online whiteboard or a small, physical dry-erase board for all scratch work and notes.

**Note: Starting with appointments from June 11, 2020 and onwards, GMAC allows you to choose between using a physical whiteboard or the online whiteboard for your GMAT online test. We cover more details and requirements for each option in our GMAT Online post.**

Magoosh has made a copy of the official online whiteboard available to practice with while you prep! You can access the whiteboard in Magoosh by clicking the icon near the top right of your screen while answering practice questions and during practice tests.

We've put together some resources below to get the most out of the whiteboard and to make sure you're comfortable on your test day.

GMAT Whiteboard Features

Tool Details
Pencil Pencil. Use this to write and draw freehand. You can adjust the thickness of the line by clicking on the series of dots, which range from least to greatest thickness (left to right).
Eraser Eraser. Use this to manually erase anything on your whiteboard. You can adjust the size of the eraser using the same series of dots at the top, ranging from smallest to biggest size (left to right).
Line Line. Use this to draw straight lines, including dashed lines and arrows (see first 2 options on top left). Click the point where you want the line to start, hold and drag to desired length, and click again to finish the line. You can adjust the thickness of the line by clicking on the same dots used to adjust the pencil and eraser size.
Rectangle Rectangle. Create squares or rectangles with this tool. Click where you want to start your rectangle, then drag and pull until you get the shape you want. You can pre-set the stroke (outline color) and fill (inner color) by clicking the colored boxes on the left and selecting a color.
Ellipse Ellipse. Use this to create circles or ellipses, using the same click and drag motion as the Rectangle tool. These are great for geometry questions and Venn diagrams.
Text Text. Select this tool and click anywhere on the whiteboard to start a text box. This is great for adding notes or for typing out equations that involve basic letters and numbers. When practicing, take note of whether the Text tool or Pencil (Pen) tool is faster for you and try to stick with one or the other to save time.
Polygon Polygon. This tool is made for creating more complex shapes outside of rectangles and circles. Rather than dragging and pulling, just click where you want to set the points of your polygon. Close off the shape by clicking the original point where you started. Seems too complicated? The Pencil tool is much easier to use.
Pan Pan. Use this to move left-right or up-down on your whiteboard. Just click and drag the board in the direction you want. You can also use this tool to move objects around by clicking and dragging them.
Eyedropper Eyedropper. Unless you’re a Photoshop whiz, don’t need to worry about this tool (and even if you are, this tool isn’t really necessary). Eyedropper allows you to set the stroke or fill color using the color of another shape or the background of your whiteboard.
Stroke Stroke. This adjusts the outline color of your shape before you draw it. Ideally, you set your stroke and fill color at the start and stick with using those colors to save time.
Fill Fill. This adjusts the fill (inner) color of your shape before you draw it. Set up at the start or just use the default black stroke/white fill.
Background Background (bg). You can change the background color of your whiteboard by clicking this tool and sliding the top (alpha) bar to the right. The bottom (saturation) bar will take the color from pastel (left) to very bright (right), but we recommend you ignore this bar altogether. The default background is a light gray that allows the default black & white shapes to show up.
Undo Redo Undo/Redo. Use the undo (pointing left) or redo (pointing right) arrows to do exactly that. Undo will remove the last mark or letter you typed, redo will add it back.
Zoom Out Zoom In Zoom out/Zoom in. The zoom function helps you utilize the vast space that makes up your whiteboard. Zoom in or out to your desired level, then use Pan to move the board directionally.

How to Use the GMAT Online Whiteboard

Method #1: Make a Work Grid

  1. Zoom out and draw a large grid, leaving enough space in each square to work out one problem.
  2. Once you’re ready to start, zoom in to the first square and work out the first problem
  3. When you’re done, use the pan tool to drag the whiteboard to the next square and work out the second problem there.

Method #2: Clear the Board After Each Use

  1. Rather than spend time using the Zoom and Pan tools, you can simply use the same area of your GMAT online whiteboard.
  2. Use the Clear tool to clear your whiteboard after each problem.
  3. The main setback is that you won’t be able to go back and check your work on a previous problem.

GMAT Whiteboard: General Tips and Tricks

Rules and restrictions to be aware of

We hope these tips and tricks will help you get the most out of the GMAT online whiteboard. While the whiteboard developed for the GMAT online isn’t by any means a perfect tool, we believe that you can learn to use it effectively with these methods and tricks.

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